Counselor

Contact Information:
Ms. Pamela Coleman, Media Specialist
pacoleman@cps.edu
773-534-5226
May be reached 8:30 - 8:45 am & after 3:45 pm - Appointments as requested
Library Media Center/Computer Lab Hours:
8:30 am - 8:45 am before school Monday - Friday
3:45 pm - 4:00 pm after school Monday - Friday

It was a great year for Solomon readers who checked out a total of 9,498 books from our school library! We did lose a handful of books due to the neighborhood flooding we experienced in May, but all-in-all our students and staff did a wonderful job in taking care of our resources. Thank You!


WHAT'S AHEAD THIS FALL?

Books - As we all know, there is very little money in our budget. For the first time in many years, we will not be experiencing the joy of a "New Book Day". However, we have purchased new titles to support the state of Illinois' Readers' Choice Awards for students in grades K-8, and your generous donations during our fall Scholastic Book Fair allowed us to purchase 20 additional titles.

We currently have a sound nonfiction collection that supports our curriculum and an equally strong fiction collection that addresses the personal tastes of all of our readers. Suggestions for our collection are always welcomed.

DVDs - Our current number of available titles stands at 549. Add to that the availability of streaming video from the Safari Montage site sponsored by CPS into any classroom and we have a wide variety of material available on many subjects.

Books on Tape - Twelve new titles were added to our collection. These titles allow our auditory learners to participate equally in the Bluestem and Caudill Award selections.

Magazine Subscriptions - Although we have severely cut back on our subscriptions, we still have one additional year left to receive Cobblestone,Calioppe, Faces, Odyssey and Highlights for Children magazines.

Technology - In addition to the 20 laptop computers, we now have 30 iPads available for use in the classroom or library. We are excited by the iPad's possibilities for teaching and learning and eager to find apps that support our educational goals.

Databases - The CPS Department of Libraries has made many databases, including the Encyclopedia Britannica, available to all CPS students. Other database subscriptions continue to be in place and may be accessed on the Student resources: Get help with homework web page.


CONTINUING PROGRAMS

The Monarch Award: Illinois' K-3 Readers' Choice Award - Students in grades K-2 will read and write about the twenty nominated titles. Voting will take place in February. We will celebrate our participation with our traditional "camp-out" movie of their choice in our gym sometime in March.

Bluestem Book Award - Students in grades 3-5 are expected to read 3 fiction titles independently and 3 books with the assistance of the classroom teacher or school librarian. These titles are longer than the Monarch ones but do not contain the content sophistication of the Caudill titles. 

Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award Illinois' Children's Choice Award, Grades 6-8 - Older students read their Caudill books independently and pass Accelerated Reader tests or provide written book reports for their classroom teachers. Students are required to read 6 titles, 2 per the first 3 marking periods, as a quarterly assignment and as part of the library curriculum.


POLICIES

Acceptable Use Policy - The Chicago Public Schools has an acceptable use policy for all students and employees in regard to how technology is to be used. This policy is strictly enforced at Solomon School. Any students using CPS computers without teacher permission and for ANY reason other than academic inquiry will lose ALL rights to use CPS technology in the future. Please familiarize yourself with the Student Acceptable Use Policy in its entirety @ http://policy.cps.k12.il.us/download.aspx?ID=2.

Pass/Fail Grading - Students in grades 6-8 receive letter grades on their report cards. Students in grades 1-5 receive Pass (P) or Fail (F). The CPS Department of Library and Information Services supports the Pass-Fail system.

Lost/Damaged Library Materials - In the event that a student loses or damages property belonging to Solomon School, s/he is responsible for the purchase amount paid by Solomon School for said material. We do not accept replacements as we pay additional costs to cover processing, book covering, and computerized data records.

Chicago Public Library Card - All students should have their own personal library card, but students in grades 4-8 are required to have one as part of their library grade. Solomon students use their CPL cards to access online resources available only to those with current cards. Please make sure your child's card is active and no fines are pending. You may apply for a library card at any Chicago Public Library branch. Why not make the trip a family outing and see all the materials available to you free of charge? Did you know you can check out current movies?



PARENT INFORMATION

Many parents are interested in learning ways to assist their children with homework and research. During our annual Open House held in September I will address the following items:
Accelerated Reader Home Connection
Chicago Public Schools online Databases
Chicago Public Libraries online electronic resources